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Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

This link to megabeediet.com website should provide the appropriate answers.

I make my own Winter patties. I sandwich my patty material between two sheets of waxed paper. Just before I place the patties on the Top Bars, just above the brood nest, I make several slits with a knife, about 1/4" apart, then place the patties, cut side down - waxed paper is little hindrance to the bees, they remove it quickly.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

The Mega-Bee Winter Patties are sold by Dadant and are 97% sugar. When the weather gets so cold here that I button up the hives for winter I put four of them on the top bars of my ten frame deeps as added insurance. On nice days in the winter, I peak to see if they have finished them all and quickly slide another one in if they have. I feel that they are a great product to prevent the early spring, late winter, starvation that impacts many.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

Originally Posted by darby

hello, how do I install the megabee winter patty? Do I take the paper off first? Also how many patties do I need per hive?

Years ago Iasked the same question about paper removal and a guy said to always remove it as why would you want the bees to do the extra work. Any idea about how many bee mouth fulls of paper it would require?

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

The other reason I try to keep the waxed paper on the patties, and as intact as possible - is that without the paper, the patties have a tendency to quickly dry out and become rock hard. After that the bees don't consume them, they just pull them out of the hive, in pieces, and discard them (too much of a waste). Even with the paper intact, this still happens with smaller pieces that remain after the bees have consumed the majority.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

Patties I have handled have holes in the paper on one side. That's the side you face towards the cluster. I know guys that remove the paper from one side. I see that as wasted time. It may make the patty more readily available to the bees, but it isn't necessary.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

Very good point about drying out. I don't remember that problem but maybe it was because when I made the patties the instructions I used said to include cooking grease like Crisco I think, anyway it was not the liquid type.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

Good point. Around here it is so dry, unless it is raining, that when I'm inspecting, and find a patty that has dried out, I set it in a shallow tray of warm water, or spritz it heavily with a spray bottle (depending on how dry it is), before returning it to the bees. I also use lots of Canola oil in my patty recipe, which does help, too.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

My experience feeding pollen supplement in the winter is that the bees, if they can't take a cleansing flight for a considerable amount of time will have dysentery. If I were Darby I would not put them on my hive. Unless it's a mild winter could be a problem in the north.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

I think some people are confusing the Megabee Winter Patties with regular Megabee Patties. The Winter Patties are not meant to be a pollen substitute. They are a cold weather feed like fondant. That's why they only have a slight amount of Megabee in them.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

Everything has a risk /reward. The colder the less reward to me, not much going on inside that pollen will not support. I do plan on adding sub to the mountain in the spring.
Haven't tried it, you may be right.

Re: Installing Megabee Winter Patties

I've used the winter patties for three winters in a row, and haven't lost a hive during the winter or spring. I only have eleven hives so it's not a large sample size, but they sure seem to work for me.